The Lesson Learned at PorcFest: Erode the State!

By Kelly Patterson:

There is an oft-repeated quote by Gandhi in which he stated “there is no path to peace, peace is the path.” After spending a week in the mountains of New Hampshire attending my first Porcfest, I’ve become pretty convinced that the same holds true for freedom. The ultimate way to achieve freedom isn’t to ask some politician to deliver it to you or even to demand it from those who have taken it away. Rather, the path to freedom is simply to be free.

Of course that is easier said than done at the moment, those who benefit from keeping others under there thumb will fight to keep those ill gotten advantages. However, as more people realize that freedom is there for them to take, that minority, which exists only to feed like a parasite off the rest of us, will soon find that they are in fact the ones outnumbered and that fear is no longer a weapon in their arsenal to control people. Eventually, the State won’t need to be smashed because it will be rendered irrelevant, through erosion of its influence and credibility.

That’s one of the main reasons for the existence of Porcfest. In that respect, it serves a dual purpose. Porcfest is a gathering place and networking opportunity for those already committed to achieving “freedom in our lifetime,” as the Free State Project motto proclaims. It also functions as an example to people not yet convinced that it is possible to live peacefully amongst the rest of humanity without having a government imposed upon them.

Buzz's Big Gag Dance Party at PorcFest

One of the most striking aspects of Porcfest is the level of peacefulness in the absence of any governmental interventions. In the whole time I was there I never heard of a single instance of anything being stolen. In fact, I felt completely at ease leaving my belongings, including a video camera, digital SLR camera, and laptop unguarded in my tent.

That’s quite a contrast between the half dozen hours I spent in three airports on the way to Porcfest. In spite of being under near-constant surveillance and never far from the presence of TSA agents or some other sort of governmental “servant,” I was fairly paranoid about what might happen to them any time I was more than a few feet away from my bags.

As great as that was, the sense of security went beyond the prevalence of honesty amongst those in attendance. I can’t recall ever having seen such a large concentration of people openly carrying firearms outside of a gun show. Yet, even with such an arsenal on display throughout the week, I never once felt threatened or witnessed anyone threatening someone else with or without a weapon.

However, if some misguided criminal had somehow made the mistake of stumbling into Roger’s Campground in search of a victim, they would have had a very sad surprise in store for them. In fact, a possible threat from a thief of a different sort served as a handy example of how a community can defend itself from outside threats without a centralized, authoritarian structure.

One day reports circulated throughout the campground that a liquor enforcement officer had entered the front gate. Within minutes a large crowd of people began to converge on the parking area at the entrance. I was already headed that direction when I overheard the initial calls from people who had two way radios. Still, by the time I reached the parking lot, it was filled with people, most of them holding cameras (the current weapon of choice in the fight against statist thugs), attempting to track down the intruder. Ultimately, it ended up being a false alarm, but the ability to mobilize a large group of individuals for the mutual defense of a common cause was put to the test that day and it passed.

The other amazing aspect of Porcfest is the open economy that flourishes within “Agora Valley,” as the vending area is known, and throughout the campground. Nobody was required to register for a business license, collect any sort of sales tax, or file for any type of permits. Without the yoke of government holding people back, anyone that had a desire to could sell whatever item or service they wanted to anyone who wanted to buy it. Pretty much every sort of merchandise you could want was available for sale and the merchants were accepting any type of currency or item of value, and even the largely valueless FRN’s (i.e. dollars).

One of the benefits of this agorist economy was the abundance of quality food available. Options varied from actual cooks, such as George Mandrik, down to people who set up bar-b-ques or a portable griddle in their campsite. I actually made a concerted effort to eat at different paces each time I bought food and I still didn’t manage to try everything that was available. All the food was unregulated, uninspected, and almost without exception, amazingly good. There was even homemade ice cream with agorist themed names, such as “counter-economic chocolate.”

Sprinkled throughout the food and merchandise vendors were a seemingly endless supply of drinks and other intoxicating options. The Agorist Drinking Fountain was serving jello shots and home made mixed drinks in light up collectible cups. Meanwhile, home brewed beers were available for sale at “Fixx Brewing” and even for free from a guy named Ed, who also was giving out moonshine lemonade (he was accepting donations, which I was happy to contribute to).As with the food, no permits or liquor licenses were needed or wanted.

There were other less liquid options available also, most notably brownies with a certain special ingredient. And yet, even with all this “illicit’ behavior going on, there were no pandemics of food poisoning, turf wars amongst rival drug gangs, or even a slew of tummy aches. Just in case though, the FR33 Aid tent was there to render medical attention to anyone in need. And on a positive note, there also weren’t any government agents running around demanding payoffs (direct or indirect) or shutting down lemonade stands run by children, such as Clark Donnelly.

There were plenty of serious events, too. In fact, if anything there was an over abundance of speakers, workshops, and liberty-related classes. Most days the biggest problem involved in picking which to go to was deciding which one you would have to skip because it was scheduled at the same time.

Among the notable people I met, most of whom I knew only online, were Julian Heiklen, Larken Rose, Jack Shimek, Bob “Weeda Claus” Constantine, Roderick Long, Jim Davidson, Meg McLain,Adam Kokesh, J Buzz Webb, Brad Spangler, George Donnely, Ian Freeman, Stefan Molynuex, and Tarrin Lupo. In addition, there were countless people with less recognizable names that I met during the week, who were equally valuable to learn from and connect with for future conspiracies and many old friends who I’ve met from time to time as they traveled through Vegas, but hadn’t seen in a while.

The other perk was the opportunity to sit in during the taping of various liberty based shows. Getting to see the behind the scenes action for shows such as Free Talk Live, Wheels Off Liberty, Adam vs. the Man, Anti-War radio, and Free Minds Radio, among others, was really one of the cooler aspects of Porcfest.

But, as the saying (kinda) goes, all revolution and no play makes an Anarchist a dull boy. Not surprisingly with all the drinking and free thought, there was no shortage of fun and games to get involved with, as well.

Even though I don’t get out to concerts quite as much as I used to, one my favorite methods of getting away from the world has always been live bands. Fortunately, Porcfest had no shortage of musical options and most of them were of the loud variety. Nothing really beats a good metal concert to get the blood pumping and the bands, especially Rebel Inc. and Federal Crime, didn’t disappoint in that respect.

Outside of the more polished acts, there were also plenty of opportunities for the talented amateurs amongst us to shine. Free Keene Karaoke, as is the usual case with karaoke, was a bit of a hit and miss prospect, but entertaining nonetheless. The prospects for real music were a bit better with the Larken Family and Soap Box Idol pretty much topped everything off.

For overall drunken debauchery and chaos of the finest sort, nothing even could be compared to Buzz’s Bigger Gay Dance Party. Personally, I had been looking forward to it since seeing pictures from it at last year’s Porcfest. Even though some parts of that evening are actually a bit hazy for me, it more than lived up to the hype. If you want the recipe for a wild ride, start with a tent, add a stripper pole, disco lights, and techno music and station a guy selling booze outside and you are well on your way. Without a doubt, it was the highlight of Porcfest 2011 and I have the pictures to prove it.

Another of the things that I was very impressed with throughout was the amount of families in attendance. Judging by all the children actively involved in the movement, the future looks bright for those fighting the good fight. Even if (god forbid) we don’t manage to achieve freedom in OUR lifetime, the seeds surely have been planted for the next wave of liberty seekers.

All in all, Porcfest was everything I had hoped it would be and then some. Lots of chances to learn about activism and alternative economic options. Plus, a great opportunity to see it in action on a fairly large scale and connect with those making it happen, both in new Hampshire and across the country. I even managed to get involved in the agorist action by selling my recently purchased Liberty On Tour hoodie (for a two dollar profit) after they sold out. And above all else, it was a solid week full of good times with good friends, both old and new, and a golden opportunity to Erode the State!